The £3BILLION bonanza: Premier League footballers set to get even richer as broadcast rights are sold for record sum to Sky and BT

More cash for Mario: The Premier League deal will hand millions more to clubs to spend on players

The Premier League has cashed in with a new £3.018billion deal which splits domestic broadcast rights between BSkyB and phone company BT.

The phenomenal new deal for 2013-16 is a massive £1.254billion - 70 per cent - increase on the current deal, which is shared between Sky and U.S.-based sports network ESPN.

The extra cash for clubs will give them extra millions to splash on players' salaries and transfer deals, making the world's most-watched football league even more of a bonanza.

Premier League footballers have come under fire in recent years for their extravagant lifestyles and huge pay deals, and the latest injection of cash into the competition will likely inflate salaries even further.

However the league has already told clubs that it expects at least some of the cash to be invested in new infrastructure and youth development.

Under the new deal, Sky will continue to broadcast the bulk of the Premier League's matches.

The broadcaster has bought five of the seven available packages for the seasons 2013/14 to 2015/16, totalling 116 matches per year.

BT have acquired the rights for 32 matches in the first season of the deal but their package includes 18 of the 38 first-choice picks, which means some of the biggest games will theirs.

The telecoms company said it would launch a new football-focused channel to broadcast their share of the matches.

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'It will offer new interactive features when supplied over BT’s fibre network and we will look to distribute it on other platforms,' BT said in a statement.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore revealed the thrilling climax to the recent season, when Manchester City won the title in injury time on the last day, contributed to the increase.

'We have just come off the back of a fantastic season and it has been good for us,' Mr Scudamore said.

'We went to the market at the right time. It was a very competitive process which if you are selling is a very good thing.'

However, at after announcing the deal this afternoon, he pleaded with clubs not to simply use the extra cash to rack up losses and fuel wage inflation, but also to invest in infrastructure and youth development.

'We are entering a new era with financial fair play, I'm hoping it will get invested in things other than playing talent. It should also be able to achieve sustainability,' the Guardian quoted him as saying.

In a statement on the Premier League website, Mr Scudamore said: 'The Barclays Premier League continues to provide excellent football and enthralling drama as we saw last season. The value this drives for our rights holders is evident and we are extremely pleased that this has been realised for our UK live rights.

'As ever, the security provided by broadcast revenues will enable our clubs to continue to invest in all aspects of their football activities and plan sustainably for the foreseeable future.

'This deal allows them to keep delivering what fans want; top quality football in some of world’s best club stadia and an increasing focus on and commitment to areas such as Youth Development.

Winners: BT have managed to secure some massive matches

'The continuing support of BSkyB for Premier League football is significant beyond the revenues delivered; the longevity and quality of their commitment has done much for the English game as a whole. We are very happy to see this relationship maintained for another three seasons.

'We welcome BT as a new Premier League broadcast partner. They are a substantial British company that is at the leading edge of technology and infra-structure development.

'They are clearly investing in quality content to use on their platforms and when combined with the reach and pull of Premier League football they will deliver new ways in which fans will be able to follow the competition.

'These are exciting times for both the football and media worlds and we should all be proud of the value both industries contribute to the UK culturally and economically.

'I would also like to place on record the Premier League's thanks to the numerous other highly credible bidders that showed such interest in the live UK rights.'

BT chief executive Ian Livingston said: 'We are pleased to have won these rights and to have secured around half of the best games on offer each season.

'We look forward to offering football fans real value and great quality using the latest technology.

'BT is already investing £2.5billion in fibre broadband. Securing Premier League rights fits naturally with this, as consumers increasingly want to buy their broadband and entertainment services from a single provider.'

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Premier League footballers set to be even richer as broadcast rights are sold to Sky and BT